


Louis Weasley and the Enchanted Mistletoe

by Astroknyte



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Christmas, Crush, M/M, Teenage lust, family holiday
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:08:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28224390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astroknyte/pseuds/Astroknyte
Summary: During the Christmas holidays of Louis Weasley's seventh year at Hogwarts all he can think about is his long-time crush, Teddy Lupin. Like every year, Louis and his entire family pile into The Burrow for the holidays, along with his Uncle Harry's godson, Teddy. After years of watching as Teddy dated his sister, Victoire, it appears as though something has changed. Could this finally be Louis' chance to tell Teddy how he feels and have a shot at love?
Relationships: Lily Luna Potter & Louis Weasley, Teddy Lupin/Louis Weasley
Kudos: 7





	1. The Journey Home

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't posted a fanfic for years, so please go easy on me! Feeling sad over not being able to travel home this Christmas so I wanted to write about what I imagine the Weasley/Potter family celebrations would be like. Hope you enjoy!

It was a blisteringly cold December day on the platform at Hogsmeade Station. Despite his layers of scarves, gloves, and jackets Louis Weasley still couldn't stop himself from shivering. All around groups of students were laughing and throwing snowballs at one another or huddled together clutching steaming mugs of butterbeer. Despite the cold everyone was in high spirits as they waited for the train back to London for the Christmas holiday. 

"Surely it should have been here by now." A pretty girl with long, dark auburn hair grumbled from next to him. 

Louis shrugged in reply. He wasn't as bothered by the cold as his cousin, Lily Potter, was. 

"I still can't believe this is the last time we'll be taking this train home for Christmas." Lily continued, "It's almost sad in a way, isn't it?"

Although privately Louis did not feel that this trip was particularly meaningful he knew better than to disagree with Lily. So instead he merely grunted in agreement and changed the subject.

"Do you know who's picking you up from King's Cross?" 

Between the two of them they had a massive family of aunts, uncles, grandparents, and cousins, any number of whom could show up at the station. Last Christmas nearly two dozen of the Potter-Weasley-Granger-Delacour clan had arrived to greet them, but Louis knew this year would be different. Not as many of his cousins were left in Hogwarts anymore, and with so many now graduated he figured it would be less of an occasion.

But that was fine by him, so long as the one person he truly wanted to see was there.

"No idea," Lily shrugged, "Mum and Dad I suppose, unless there's a Quidditch game to cover. I doubt James or Albus will be bothered to show up though."

Louis' heart sank. If James or Albus weren't coming it was highly unlikely that _he_ would show up. 

"What about you? Just your Mum and Dad as well?"

"Probably." Louis admitted gloomily, "Victoire won't have gotten the time off, and Dominique won't be back from France yet."

A loud cheer rose from the other end of the platform signalling the arrival of bright red Hogwarts Express. As it steamed up along the platform Lily clapped her hands together.

"Finally. I was beginning to turn into an icicle out here. Let's try and claim a cabin for ourselves shall we?" 

Louis followed Lily onto the train as she shoved her way past a group of shivering first years, all of whom simply stared wide-eyed as they passed. Each cabin they walked by was somehow already full of students pulling off their winter gear and flopping down merrily. Louis sighed, this always happened, and he knew what was about to happen.

"This is ridiculous." Lily said incredulously, coming to a stop half way down the train. "Here's let's just try for this one."

She peered through the window of a cabin nearby and then nodded in his direction. 

Louis groaned. Somehow this seemed to happen every year, and no matter how much he protested Lily never seemed to mind. 

"Must I?"

"Yes." She snapped as the train lurched into motion, "Now get a move on before they're too settled in."

He hated this part. But seeing as how it was the last train home at Christmas and all…

Louis took a deep breath, fixed on his most dashing smile, and slid the door open. Inside were a group of third year Ravenclaw girls, and he instantly realized why Lily sent him this time. 

"Sorry for intruding ladies," He said as smoothly as he could. There was a collective intake of breath from the girls followed by fits of giggling. 

"You don't need to apologize sir." One of them said, turning bright red as she stared at him in a glossy-eyed, hysterical kind of way. 

"Wendy! Don't call him sir!" One of her friends whispered as she administered an elbow to Wendy's side. The rest of the girls erupted into a new fit of giggles and began to behave in strange ways, such as running their fingers madly through their hair or blinking very quickly. 

"You see, I was hoping you could help us," Louis continued as if nothing unusual was happening.

"Of course! We'd be honoured!" Wendy said immediately. All around her the girls began to nod furiously. 

Before Louis could continue the girl furthest from him abruptly jumped to her feet and made a show out of bending over to tie her shoe, despite the fact she'd already taken it off and was merely in her socks.

"The thing is..." Louis trailed away, suppressing a grin and putting on his best _troubled_ look, "My cousin and I have something we need to talk about. It's not very good, I'm afraid, so we could really use the privacy..."

There was a collective intake of breath followed by a chorus of _aww_ s and _but of course_ s, and the girls quickly gathered their things and bustled from the cabin. 

"It is our honour to give you this cabin, sir" Wendy said on her way out, her face the colour of a tomato. "Maybe… maybe you could come sit with us after your talk?"

Louis offered his most dazzling smile, "I'd love to if there's time."

Wendy looked as if she might faint at this, but thankfully was spared the ordeal of summoning up a reply by Lily stomping past her.

"Cheers girls." She said merrily before shutting the door firmly behind them. "Aww, bless them. I swear though, you get better and better at this as you get older. I mean, surely they can see how ridiculous they are?"

Louis shrugged as he flopped back into a seat and kicked off his shoes. Although he felt slightly guilty about using what Lily dubbed his "Veela charm" for his own personal gain he also was happy to have a cabin to themselves. 

"On the way back it's your turn though," He said, "Let's find a group of star struck boys to torment instead."

Lily flipped her hair over her shoulder and withdrew the latest _Witches Weekly_ from her bag. 

"But you're so much better at it than I am. Besides, after seven years at Hogwarts nobody is _that_ interested in sucking up to me anymore."

Louis opened his mouth to protest, but the words were lost in his mouth when he saw him. There, on the cover of _Witches Weekly_ , looking unbearably handsome in his blue Quidditch robes, was a photo of Teddy Lupin. Underneath the photo was a string of blocky white text which read " _Lovesick Lupin? Has Puddlemere United's superstar found himself single this Christmas?"._ In the bottom corner, as if to prove a point, was a photo of a stunningly beautiful witch with luscious waist-length silver-blonde hair blowing a kiss to the camera.

"Is that a no then?" 

Louis was snapped back to reality by Lily's voice. She stared at him expectantly over the top of the magazine.

"Er, what was that?" He asked sheepishly, feeling his ears begin to burn.

Lily narrowed her eyes and abruptly flipped the magazine to inspect the cover. 

_Oh shit_ , Louis thought, _no way out of this one. What's she going to say about me staring at Teddy?_

After a long, excruciating moment of watching Lily read the cover she merely snorted.

"I mean really, blowing a kiss?" She said in an exasperated tone. "I love Victoire of course, but this is just asking for it now."

It took several moments for Louis' brain to comprehend the meaning of what Lily was saying. When it finally clicked he exhaled a long sigh of relief through his nose. She thought he was merely staring at the photo of his sister, Victoire. Tabloids were always speculating about the status of her and Teddy's relationship, most of which couldn't be further from the truth. 

"Dad will be furious," He agreed, "He hates when she does this kind of thing."

"And can you blame him? It's not like we don't get enough attention as it is." Lily sighed, "And I can't imagine Teddy will be too thrilled with Victoire airing their dirty laundry in public like that."

Louis froze. Airing their dirty laundry? What did Lily mean by that? It was relatively normal for rumours of his sister and Teddy having fights to be published, but that's mostly all they were: rumours. Was something different this time?

"But oh well, it's none of our business I suppose." Lily concluded.

She flipped back to her page in the magazine and, after a few moments of reading, began filling in one of the interactive quizzes with her wand. Although he desperatley wanted to read the bit on Victoire and Teddy's relationship Louis figured it was better to leave it alone for now, and instead retrieved the novel he'd started about a dashing young werewolf hunter in the American Wild West. 

Despite the questions about Teddy and Victoire's relationship swirling in his head, the rest of the train ride passed surprisingly quickly. When the snack trolly stopped by they helped themselves to two butterbeers each, as well as a mountain of chocolate cauldrons and sugar quills. By the time the train reached the darkened, frostbitten streets of London there was a fluttery feeling inside Louis' chest, and he knew it wasn't just from the excess amount of sugar.

When they finally rolled to a stop in King's Cross station he and Lily hurried to return their winter clothing to their bodies and queued up in the hallway for the exit. 

This was it. Teddy would either be here with his godparents, Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, or he wouldn't have bothered coming. Louis allowed himself a brief daydream of Teddy waiting on the platform, arms outstretched, throwing himself around Louis and planting his lips firmly on-

"Oi, get a move on." Lily snapped from behind him.

Heart pounding, Louis stepped off the train. 

But Teddy was nowhere to be found. He sighed as a disappointed feeling flooded through him. Now that Victoire had stopped coming to the station he supposed it made sense that he wouldn't come to greet them anymore. After all, it had been her he was there for. But some part of him had hoped that he'd still show up anyway, maybe to greet Lily or Hugo, or, a very tiny and optimistic piece of his heart thought, to even greet him.

Over at the other end of the platform was a large group of people who all started cheering and waving at them once they'd exited the train. Louis immediately saw his parents at one end, his Mum looking as glamorous as ever and turning the heads of all the other fathers around them, while his Dad simply looked excited to see them with a huge smile planted on his scarred face. Next to them were Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny, as well as Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron, Uncle George and Aunt Angelina, and Uncle Percy. He was surprised to see that even his grandparents had made the journey in to greet their grandchildren, with his Gran clutching an enormous basket of Christmas cookies and his Grandad wearing the most ridiculous light-up muggle Christmas jumper.

He and Lily made their way over to the crowd, followed not far behind by his cousins Roxanne, Lucy, and Hugo. 

"You're finally home!" His Mum screamed as she flung herself at her son, wrapping him tightly in a hug.

Louis couldn't help but grin. Being in his seventh year he had now outgrown his embarrassment over his Mum's public affection and had learned to appreciate it. 

"Missed you guys." He said once his Mum had released him to make way for his Dad.

"Not half as much as we missed you." Dad said fondly, patting Louis on the back of the head. 

The rest of the family took turns hugging each other, and by the end of it Louis was sandwiched between his parents, munching on his third Christmas cookie, feeling as though he couldn't be happier. A familiar warmth fell over him, as always did when he was this happy, and he knew that his "Veela charm" would be at maximum power. But he couldn't help it, and in that moment he didn't care.

"Come on," Dad said eventually, "Uncle Harry got us all ministry cars to go home."

There was a murmur of appreciation and, as one, they began shuffling towards the exit. Each group of families they passed stared at them as they went, clutching each other and pointing at the Boy Who Lived and his family, but also the unnaturally beautiful witch and her equally handsome son, both of whom seemed to practically glow.

A blast of cold air greeted them when they made it outside. There was a long line of old fashioned cars waiting at the curb, each with a prim sunglasses-wearing driver stood by the door.

"Alright, let's see..." Uncle Harry said, and began counting the crowd around him. "Let's go with Ron, you and Hermione here…. Oh sod it, just figure yourselves out."

Happy chaos followed as his cousins and aunts and uncles piled into the various cars, each seemingly without a care as to its destination. Louis was about to jump in next to his cousin Roxanne when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Oh there you are! Caught you all without a moment to spare."

Time seemed to slow to a standstill as Louis turned around. His heart began to pound in his chest and his breath caught in his throat. 

Stood there, looking dashing in his smart peacoat and windswept blue hair, was Teddy Lupin. Louis barely had a moment to take him in before Teddy pulled him into a firm hug that smelled of pine needles and butterbeer. It was pure bliss. Louis would have given anything to make that hug last forever, but before long Teddy released him and swept his eyes up and down him with a grin

"Look at you, Louis Weasley. All grown up!" He exclaimed, "It should be illegal to look that handsome."

And in that moment Louis Weasley thought he might have died and gone to heaven.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always been super fascinated by Louis Weasley since he's the only canon male with Veela blood. There's definitely some liberties taken with the ages of many of these characters since they aren't specified, so whether or not Lily and Louis (and the others) would be in the same year isn't totally confirmed, by I like to imagine it that way.
> 
> At least two more chapters are coming, the next one is almost done and the third just started - so hopefully both will be posted before the 24th!


	2. The Burrow

Nothing occupied Louis' mind over the next twenty-four hours more than Teddy Lupin. During the car ride home, squished between two of his cousins, he replayed the scene over and over in his head: the way Teddy smelled, the way he held him, how his windswept hair fell perfectly across his forehead. It was like something out of a fairy tale, something he'd dreamed of for years.

Having suffered a long, unspoken crush on Teddy, it felt like too good to be true to finally be on the receiving end of his attention. That night as Louis lay in bed he spent hours staring at the ceiling analysing every second of that blissful moment over and over. What had changed? Why had he finally gotten Teddy's attention? Was it truly just that he looked "grown up"?

The next morning Louis woke up to a loud commotion from downstairs. His Mum was shouting in French, which could only mean that his sister Dominique was home at last from her job at Beauxbatons. 

"Louis!" There was a knock on his door followed immediately by his Dad's face poking around the frame, "Your sister is home, and just in time for breakfast."

As he spoke the volume of chattering French grew louder, which Louis took to mean Victoire had joined the fray. He'd barely gotten the chance to say more than "hello" and "goodbye" to her last night before she was off to some glamorous Christmas party. That was the thing about Victoire, she always had somewhere more interesting she  _ could _ be.

"Right Dad, I think I gathered that." Louis replied with a grin.

His Dad laughed and shot a look over his shoulder, "Well you better get a move on, you know how your Mum can be when you miss breakfast."

Louis groaned. "I'll be down in a minute don't worry."

"Great," His Dad said before hesitating in the doorway, "So just finish up with your, uh, morning routine here and pop on down."

"Dad!" Louis exclaimed, "Gross! That's not- I mean I'm not-"

But his Dad had already left, chuckling to himself. 

To prove a point that he was not, in fact, doing anything that might require  _ morning alone time _ , Louis pulled on his pyjamas and ran downstairs in record time. The rest of his family was placed around the kitchen table and, thankfully, had switched to English. Although he was  _ technically _ fluent in French it was still a challenge for him to keep up with his Mum and sisters, and he knew his Dad felt the same.

Out of the three of them Dominique was the most in touch with their French heritage. From an early age she'd latched on to the language, and had spent several summers there as a teenager. It hadn't been a surprise when she announced last year that she had taken up a post at Beauxbaton as school nurse.

"Louis!" Dominique exclaimed in a pronounced French accent, "My favoureete brotheer!"

"And your only one Dom," Louis replied as he embraced his sister. She had cut her hair since he'd last seen her a few months ago and was now sporting a stylish but practical bob. "Nice hair by the way."

"Très charmant!” She said delightedly. 

Their Mum watched fondly and ran her hand through Dominique's short silver-blonde hair.

"So short!" She said, her French accent coming through more strongly than usual, "But it suits you." 

Dominique smiled embarassedly and shooed Mum away.

“We weren't expecting you until tomorrow Dom,” Dad said as he slathered a piece of toast with jam, “How'd you get away so early?”

Dominique launched into a long and hard-to-follow story about a snow storm, animated snowman, and naked students experiencing frostbite in very painful places. She'd just gotten to the part where she'd arrived with them to a hospital in Paris when Victoire suddenly placed her mug down with a bang.

"Does this mean we're going to The Burrow tonight then?" She asked, "James said they're going this evening, and Uncle George took his lot there straight from the station!"

Louis sighed. Of course she'd want to go early if the Potters were on their way, because that meant that Teddy would be there too. 

Their Mum and Dad exchanged a look. Louis knew that if it were up to his Dad they'd have gone straight from the station as well, but Mum preferred to have some "quiet time" with just the five of them first.

"It's up to your Mum." Dad said eventually, staring intently at the remnants of his toast.

Mum scowled at him and fidgeted with the ends of her hair.

"Well, I suppose we don't need to wait until tomorrow… we could just take the turkey I had for tonight's dinner with us."

“Oh là là!" Victoire clapped in delight. 

"Great! I'll start packing." Dad said, and before she could change her mind he was out the door climbing the stairs. Mum watched him with an uncertain look before sighing nonchalantly.

"Oh well. C'est la vie, I suppose. Do you want an aperitif Domi?"

"Ohhh oui Mama!"

Louis took that as his cue to leave. It was a bit early to drink in his mind, and he was sure there'd be plenty of booze at The Burrow later. 

After a quick shower Louis packed his bags and slipped into the family room to sneak a few hours of video games on the muggle console his parents had let him buy. Other than during the Summer and one or two days at Christmas he never got the chance to play. Even after all these years electricity still didn't work at Hogwarts, but that was part of "the experience" he supposed.

When it was eventually time to depart for The Burrow his family gathered in the living room with their bags. Dad cast a quick look at Mum and then the kids.

"Brace yourselves."

He then stepped into the fireplace, clutched a handful of powder, and yelled "The Burrow!" before being engulfed in green flames. Next went Victoire, then Dominique, and then Louis. 

Traveling by floo powder was his least favourite method of transportation. It was disorienting and more often than not left him with messy hair and soot-stained cheeks. But since he still hadn't passed his apparition test Louis had no choice.

"The Burrow!" He shouted once he'd stepped into the fireplace. Green flames burst up around him, and a moment later he was staring out at the familiar sight of his grandparents' kitchen. 

It was like stepping into a hurricane. All at once his senses were overwhelmed with a chorus of voices shouting their greetings and bodies rushing towards him for hugs and the smell of mulled wine filling the air. Nearly his entire family had already arrived, even more than Victoire had mentioned in the morning. 

After several minutes of greeting every single family member, despite having seen most of them the night before, Louis was finally able to take a breath and take in the sight. The kitchen was in a state of absolute chaos. Freshly baked cookies were cooling on every available surface, thirty pairs of boots were piled by the door in a mountain that threatened to tip over at any moment, and multi coloured frosting had somehow exploded all over the cabinets and ceiling.

It was perfect.

"Louis dear," Gran said as she pulled him into another hug. She smelled of sugar and cinnamon and firewhiskey and was positively beaming. Nothing made his grandmother happier than having the whole family around, and she didn't hesitate to show it.

"Those smell good Gran," Louis said, gesturing to the cookies. Gran immediately shoved a handful into Louis' hands, which he really should have seen coming. 

A moment later a hot mug of mulled was placed in his other hand, its spicy contents steaming up and filling his nose with the pleasant smells of cloves and cinnamon and aniseed. 

"Are we the last to arrive?" Louis asked his Gran, who was still clutching his arm and fondly watching the chaos unfold around them.

"Not quite, dear. Percy and his lot haven't arrived yet, I expect they won't be along for another day or two. They keep him so busy at work, you know." Louis nodded dutifully at this, and let his Gran continue on. "And then there's Ginny and Harry, they should be here any moment now."

Louis cast a quick look at the fireplace, as if it would burst into green flames if he only wished it hard enough. But it stayed dark, only the faintest embers glowing at its base.

Thankfully there was too much going on to dwell on it for long. Several of his uncles had begun a drinking game with his Dad, and his cousin Hugo was busy showing Grandad his new muggle smartphone. 

"It's like baby's first spell!" Grandad exclaimed delightedly, accidentally turning the flashlight on and off repeatedly while he played with the camera. 

After dodging out of a conversation with his Aunt Angelina regarding the current Quidditch season - something they would never see eye-to-eye on - Louis spotted something unusual.

In the door frame leading to the garden was a sparkling, glistening bundle of flowers and leaves. Dominique, Roxanne, and Rose giggled to each other in a huddle just beside it, as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"What's that?" Louis asked. The longer he stared at the little bundle the more it intrigued him. It seemed to glitter in the light of the room as the petals changed from one colour to the next, and the leaves softly swayed as if in a breeze.

The girls looked at each other in a consultive moment before turning back to Louis.

"It's enchanted mistletoe, of course." Rose said in a matter-of-fact sory of way, as if Louis was stupid for not already knowing this.

He waited for further explanation, but when none came he followed up with "What makes it different from regular mistletoe then?"

A fit of giggles erupted amongst the girls until finally Roxanne swatted his arm. "If you kiss somebody beneath it you fall in love, silly."

Louis' heart began to quicken. Could it be real? No, there was no way. It was impossible to magick love into existence, everybody knew that. You could only create a powerful lust.

But still… lust wasn't bad.

"I don't know why you three are so excited by it." James said cooly from where he materialised next to Louis, causing him to jump. "What use is it when it's just family here? Now, if some of the girls from the village came by..."

"James!" Rose cried affectionately as she shoved the others aside to pull him into a hug. "You're here!"

Louis' heart skipped a beat. The Potters were arriving. Finally. And that would mean Teddy wasn't far behind.

"It's true, I've finally arrived." He said in boasting sort of way that Louis knew was only to wind the girls up. Judging by the shoves and slaps James received as a reply, he would have wagered it worked.

"Hey James," Louis said once he'd extracted himself from the girls, "Nice to see you."

Louis had never been particularly close to James. As far as he was concerned they had about as much in common as a parrot and a teacup. But they were still friendly, and had never had any reason to fall out.

"Damn Louis," James said as he released Louis from a polite hug, "Get any more good looking and there won't be any girls left for the rest of us."

Louis laughed awkwardly. Nobody in his family knew that he was gay, and he didn't plan on breaking that news to any of them now.

"Er, I'm going to go say hi to Lily."

He quickly slipped away and made his way back to the kitchen just in time to see green flames die down in the fireplace. Aunt Ginny stepped through, brushing soot off of her shoulder before pulling Grandad into a big hug.

Louis scanned the room. Lily and Uncle Harry had already arrived and were greeting the others, and Albus stood by himself in the corner, staring out the window to the garden. That only left one person.

Green flames erupted in the fireplace once more. Nobody paid any attention this time, they were too busy laughing and hugging each other and shoving cups of butterbeer or eggnog into each other's hands. Louis shifted from one foot to the other and watched in eager anticipation as a handsome man with blue hair suddenly appeared before him.

Teddy Lupin stared out of the fireplace, taking in the scene before him with a look of amused apprehension.

"Teddy!"

A flash of waist-length silver blonde hair streaked past Louis and went crashing into Teddy's open arms. And just like that, Louis' heart sank into his stomach.

He'd known it would happen, of course. It made sense for Victoire to be the one to greet him first. But it didn't make it any easier to watch as she draped her arms around him and fondly brushed soot out of his hair.

"It's like a war zone in here." Teddy said with a grin. 

Victoire laughed in a silly sort of way and batted her eyelashes very quickly, filling Louis with the sudden urge to pull out his wand and blast the wretched things off her eyes.

"There he is!" Gran said, having finally finished with greeting the Potters and returned to the fireplace, "Our very own Quidditch superstar. Come here love."

"It's so kind of you to have me Molly." Teddy replied as he hugged her.

Gran shook her head.

"You always have a home here Teddy, you know that."

"I know," His brow creased and his smile dampened, "And ever since Grandmother passed away you're all the family I have left."

Gran immediately pulled him into another bone-crushing hug, the corners of her eyes glistening.

"Well, here and with the Potters, of course."

"Of course dear, of course." Gran replied, stroking his arm, "Now let's get you something to drink before you die of thirst."

"Or go insane." Victoire muttered once Gran had bustled off to prepare a fresh round of eggnog. They laughed, and Louis decided to seize the opportunity to say something to Teddy.

"Hi." He said dumbly. "It's, um, nice to… you. See you, I mean."

Teddy and Victoire exchanged a quick glance out of the corners of their eyes, and Louis' cheeks began to grow hot. Why couldn't he just speak to him normally for once?

"And it's always nice to see you mate." Teddy said smoothly, and gave Louis a quick hug that was immediately interrupted by a tray of eggnog shoved in their faces.

"Here you go lads, drink up!" Gran said cheerily. 

Teddy grabbed one mug for him and one for Victoire, releasing Louis in the process. "Thanks Molly!"

Louis immediately felt annoyed. Not only had he managed to fumble his words during his first chance to speak to Teddy, he also didn't get to properly enjoy their hug. Who knew how long it would be until he got another chance? Teddy had taken his drink and was now doing the rounds with the rest of the family, followed closely by Victoire, leaving Louis standing alone by the fireplace. 

"Happy Christmas to me." He muttered gloomily, and downed the rest of his drink in one large gulp.

Less than an hour into their stay at The Burrow and things had already gone wrong. It would only get more crowded as the rest of his family arrived. How on earth would he ever get alone time with Teddy now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being slightly longer than I expected so I split Chapters 2 into two parts. The next one is done except for some edits and will go up either tonight or tomorrow!
> 
> Merry Christmas Eve!


	3. The Top Floor Shower

The rest of the night was filled with drinking and eating and an exceptional amount of noise. By the time all of Louis' family climbed the stairs to their respective rooms he was utterly exhausted, and more than a little depressed. It probably didn't help that he'd done two shots of dirigible plum schnapps with James and Fred, and then drank another three glasses of eggnog. The effect of this copious amount of booze became apparent as he stumbled up the stairs, hiking all the way to the fourth floor, before face planting into his bed and promptly passing out.

Louis' dreams were filled with green flames and blue-haired men and little bundles of sparkling mistletoe, just begging to be kissed beneath. He slept fitfully, waking up each time Hugo or Albus - whom he shared his room with - rolled over or made a noise. Each time he'd stare out the window at the falling snow, thinking about how somewhere in this house, mere meters away, Teddy Lupin was sleeping. He couldn't help but imagine what he wore to sleep and let his brain conjure up enticing visions of Teddy sprawled out, bare chested beneath his blankets, blue hair falling into his eyes.

When at last Louis woke up the next morning he was completely alone in his room, both of his cousins' beds were disheveled and abandoned. Louis sighed and ran his hand through his hair. His head was killing him and his stomach ached. He'd definitely overdone it the night before.

After a few moments of procrastination he eventually dragged himself out of bed and climbed up to the top floor to take a quick shower. Once he got to the landing the bathroom door opened just as he reached out for it, and Aunt Hermione emerged, towelling her hair dry.

"Oh!" She said with a start, "Sorry Louis, I didn't see you there. The shower is all yours if you want."

"Thanks Hermione," He replied, and slipped into the bathroom before anybody else could.

The shower that ensued could only be described as pure bliss. Never in his life had hot water felt so good against his skin. Every ache and pain seemed to wash away as he stood there, letting the water flow over him, and by the time he was done he felt quite refreshed.

He took an extra minute to style his silver-blonde hair in the mirror before leaving, which only took a minute. Like most things related to beauty he was blessed with unusually easy-to-manage hair. No matter how he attempted to arrange it the result was always flattering, nothing at all like the complaints he heard his cousins James or Roxanne grumbling about.

When he was done he made his way down to the ground floor. It was unusually quiet in The Burrow, none of his cousins were to be found.

"Where is everybody?" Louis asked, as he entered the kitchen. Only his Grandmother, Grandfather, Aunt Hermione, and Uncles George and Harry were there.

"Oh they ran into the village for a bit of shopping dear." Gran said from where she was preparing tea.

"They were going to wait for you but you slept in too long." Uncle Harry added with a grin.

Louis shrugged and took a seat. Shopping in itself didn't interest him, but spending the day with Teddy in the village sounded nice. He wondered how long they'd been gone for. How much time had being hungover cost him?

"Here you go my dears," Gran said as she placed a cup of tea in front of each of them. "Now I must get on with the dinner or we'll be eating at midnight."

Precariously perched on the counter next to the stove was a massive pile of vegetables and what looked to be half the potatoes in England. 

“Was that bathroom always there on the top floor Molly?” Aunt Hermione asked casually, stirring her cup of tea.

Louis’ grandmother shifted from one foot to the other, and he couldn’t help but notice how, despite having thoroughly sliced the carrots in front of her, she continued to dissect them into ever shrinking pieces.

“The top floor?” She replied in a strained sort of way, “It’s hard to say dear, we’ve made so many additions to the home over the years I can hardly keep track.” 

“Of course, of course,” Aunt Hermione said obligingly, dropping a sugar cube in her tea, “It is wonderful how you’ve managed to make enough room for all of us to squeeze in every year.” 

Grandmother nodded quickly while her knife continued to chop thin air on the board in front of her.

“I don’t suppose getting all those permits for renovations was difficult now, was it?” Aunt Hermione continued in a tone that sounded very much as if she was trying to be uninterested and added two more lumps of sugar into her tea.

The effect was immediate. Uncle George made a quick beeline out of the room, muttering something under his breath about a package being delivered. Grandfather leapt to his feet and made a show of looking for his wand before hurrying into the sitting room, followed closely by Uncle Harry. 

“Oh, um, well,” Grandmother sputtered, “It is, you know, such a difficult job to navigate all that bureaucracy.”

Aunt Hermione pursed her lips and added yet another lump of sugar to her tea. “Because I’d hate to think that you weren’t filing all the necessary forms, not with so much of the family working in the Ministry…”

“Oh lay off it Hermione.” 

Louis breathed a sigh of relief. Uncle Ron had finally arrived, covered in snow, and appeared to have read the situation immediately. 

“But the permits-”

Uncle Ron put his hand on Hermione’s shoulder and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

“It’s fine dear, nobody is going to know if two or three rooms don’t have the right permits.” He said soothingly.

Aunt Hermione looked very much like she wanted to protest and that, just by her knowing, the crime was sealed. But after a moment of hesitation she sighed in a resigned sort of way and smiled at Grandmother.

“Forget I asked. It’s really no big deal I suppose, not so long as the safety codes were followed.”

Grandmother made such a sporadic twitch of her hand that the contents of a nearby flowerpot rocketed upwards and crashed into the ceiling before plummeting back to the floor in a heap. 

“Of course dear, of course.” She said in a high pitched voice before quickly vanishing the pile of dirt.

Uncle Ron clapped his hands together before things could deteriorate further. 

“Right. How about some eggnog with a dash of firewhiskey?” 

“Ooh yes, that’d be lovely.” Aunt Hermione obliged, and with a look of disdain at her over-sweetened tea she vanished the contents with a quick  _ scourgify  _ and strolled into the sitting room to join the others.

“That was close.” Ron muttered under his breath while he prepared the drinks.

Grandmother sighed and put her hands on her hips. “I knew we should have filed those forms. But does anybody listen to me? I should think not.” 

“It’ll be fine Mum, Hermione will forget all about it.”

Louis didn’t think he sounded convinced, and neither did Grandmother apparently. She fixed Uncle Ron with a look and passed him a tray for the drinks. 

“Oh, right.” He said, “Louis, you don’t mind taking these around do you?”

“Sure.” Louis shrugged. He had nothing else to do while he waited for the others to come back from the village.

“So that’s… George, Harry, Hermione, and Dad.” Ron counted the drinks as he added a dash of firewhiskey to each, “And Teddy of course, though I’m not sure where he is.” Louis’ heart skipped a beat. Another opportunity to talk to Teddy. 

“One for Mum and I. Annnd…” Ron paused, casting a furtive glance at Grandmother to ensure she was looking away, “One for yourself why not. But don’t tell your grandparents.” 

Louis grinned at his Uncle, muttered a quick thanks, and hurried off to the sitting room.

“Ah, Louis! Fancy a game of chess?” Uncle George asked excitedly when he entered. “Nobody else will take me up again.”

“I said I’d play, but only if you played with a proper regulation board.” Hermione said pointedly.

But Uncle George merely shrugged. “Like I said, nobody will face me. So what do you say Louis? Up to the challenge?”

“Sorry, but I have to take this one to Teddy.” Louis replied. “Any idea where he is?”

“He said he wanted to clean up before dinner,” Harry said, “I can take it to him though if you want to play.”

Harry started to get out of his chair and reached to take the tray from Louis, who quickly stepped back towards the door. There was no way he was going to pass on his opportunity to talk to Teddy while he cousins were away. It was virtually impossible to get any alone time with him, and he wasn’t going to miss it.

“No no it’s ok really.” He said lightly, continuing to back towards the door, “I should probably get ready for dinner too. I definitely slept in too long! Thanks Uncle Harry!”

Without waiting for a reply he hurried out of the room and began climbing the haphazard, winding staircase. He wasn’t sure which room was Teddy’s, but figured it was most likely one of those at the top of the house. All of the younger generation got shoved in the upper floors while the older ones got the nicer, bigger rooms towards the bottom.

As he climbed ever higher Louis noticed what his Aunt Hermione had been talking about earlier. There did seem to be new rooms that he’d never noticed before shoved into random corners on various landings. Although he’d never paid particularly close attention to the layout of the house he was quite certain there had never been a tiny, pink bedroom hanging off the second floor, or a library with barely enough room for a single occupant on the third. 

Louis started to wonder if he’d perhaps missed Teddy’s room by accident when he made it onto the fourth floor landing, but then he spotted his trunk through a partially opened bedroom door. Inside were three single beds crammed in like a jigsaw puzzle, and the walls were completely covered in Quidditch posters. From the initials on the trunks next to each bed he gathered this was James, Fred, and Teddy’s room.

He sighed as he stared at the clothes strewn across the floor and disheveled beds. What would it be like, he wondered, to share a room with Teddy? For a brief moment he indulged in a daydream of watching Teddy wake up in the morning, wearing nothing but his boxers.

Perhaps it was for the best he was stuck with his cousins Hugo and Albus after all.

With Teddy nowhere to be found Louis resigned himself to leaving the eggnog on top of his trunk, and reluctantly began his descent back towards the sitting room. From far below he heard a huge clamour of commotion that could only mean the rest of his family had returned from their shopping in the village, and would no doubt be filtering out into every room.

He sighed. So much for his chance to get alone time with Teddy. 

But that’s when he heard it. Just above him a shower turned on. 

Louis froze. Uncle Harry  _ had _ said that Teddy wanted to clean up before dinner. It had to be him. There was nobody else up there. 

He bounced from one foot the other while he sipped his eggnog. What harm would it do to go up and look? If anybody caught him he would just say he was leaving Teddy's eggnog outside the door.

Eggnog in hand Louis tiptoed back up the stairs, past the fourth floor landing, and up the top floor before the attic. Steam billowed forward from the bathroom door in the corner, and Louis realised with a jolt that the door wasn't completely closed.

His heart began to quicken. Right there, mere feet away, was Teddy Lupin. Naked. In the shower. And the door was open. 

He hadn't anticipated this. Now what was he supposed to do? Just turn around and go back downstairs, carry on with his holiday, all the while knowing that he'd been  _ this _ close to seeing Teddy in the shower?

The sound of commotion from below grew as more of his family crammed into the house. Louis had to act quickly, and he knew it. 

_ Oh what the hell _ . 

As quietly as he could he crept towards the door, wincing with each squeak from the floorboards beneath him. Wafts of steam billowed over him, and as he got closer he could feel the warmth from the hot water. With shaking hands he clutched the edge of the door frame and poked his head around the corner, just far enough to be able to see.

His breath caught in his throat and a tight, hot feeling surged through his body.

Stood there, in the tiny shower crammed into the corner, was Teddy. He hadn't bothered to pull the curtain all the way shut, leaving Louis a sliver of a view. He could just make out his wet blue hair, and thankfully he was turned away from the door. His pale skin glistened as the water poured over his lean, athletic form. 

Louis swallowed and took a steadying breath. He was used to seeing guys without their clothes on in the Quidditch locker room, but he was sure that none looked as good as Teddy. A moment passed in which Teddy began to wash his hair, and slowly rotated his upper body towards the door, providing Louis with a perfect view of his chest and abs. 

It was too much. How could one man be so perfect? 

But then he kept turning, and Louis thought he might faint. If he kept going he would provide him with a perfect view of between his legs. 

_ I wonder if his hair is blue there as well _ ? Louis thought maniacally, clutching the door frame even harder.

How was this really happening? He was actually going to do it. Just a little bit further and he'd be able to see-

"What on earth is going on here?"

Louis jumped so hard he sent the contents of the cup splashing up the wall. Stood behind him, arms crossed and a smug grin planted on her face, was his cousin Lily.

"Oh, um, I, uh, Lily," He sputtered as his cheeks began to burn. "I was just, uh..."

"Were you  _ creeping _ on somebody?" She asked loudly, and before he could reply carried on "Louis  _ EW _ this is your FAMILY."

Although Louis was fully aware she was only doing this to torment him it did not diminish the effectiveness of her results.

"Shh! Stop it!" He whisper-shouted, casting nervous glances back through the door.

This only seemed to spur Lily on further, because she flipped her dark hair over her shoulder and carried on at the same volume. 

"Who is in there? Is it  _ Gran _ ? Or oh, I bet it's -"

"Did somebody call for me?" Teddy's voice rang out as the water stopped.

Lily froze, her mouth hanging open in look of delighted shock, as if she were a cat who just found a trapped mouse.

"Louis Weasley!" She whispered.

Louis quickly moved from where he was in the doorway, wringing his hands together as panic continued to surge through him.

"Please Lily, don't say anything." He begged.

Before she could reply the door opened, and there stood Teddy, towel wrapped around his waist, bare chest still glistening from his shower. Louis thought his heart, or maybe another organ lower on his body, might burst at the site. Teddy was, quite simply, the most attractive person in the world. 

"Oh, hey you two." He said, running a hand through his damp cerulean hair, "Were you calling for me?"

Lily seemed frozen to the spot, her eyes scanning up and down Teddy's numerous abs. 

"I, um," Louis began, his voice cracking, "I was just bringing you eggnog."

Teddy grinned. "Oh cheers mate. I don't suppose there's anything, ah, special in it?"

"Oh, uh, I, um, accidentally, er, spilled it." Louis gestured to the wall and the eggnog that was slowly dripping down it. It was all he could do to keep his eyes on Teddy's, and  _ not _ the outline in his towel between his legs.

"Ah no worries mate, I can make one later." Teddy carried on merrily, seemingly oblivious, "You alright Lily?"

Hearing her name seemed to snap her back to reality. She casually ran her hand through her hair and adjusted her weight from one leg to the other.

"I suppose so." She said slowly, shooting Louis a look, "I was just about to show Louis here something in my room. So, if you'll excuse us."

Before he had time to protest Lily dragged Louis into the other room off the landing that she shared with Rose, leaving Teddy with a slightly bewildered look on his face, and slammed the door behind them.

"Listen, I can explain." Louis began hastily. "I - I was just looking for Teddy, and I thought I saw a mole on his back when I poked my head through the door. And you know, you really should have those things checked, because they can be dangerous, even to wizards, I mean, I'd want one checked you know? And -"

But he was interrupted by a sudden collision with his chest as Lily threw her arms around him. 

"It's ok Louis." She whispered, "You don't have to hide it."

His heart was pounding in his chest. It was difficult to breathe, and the room's walls felt as if they were closing in around him.

"Wha-what do you mean?"

She leaned back and fixed him with a knowing look.

"You like him, don't you?" 

Louis opened his mouth to reply, but no words would come out. He had nothing he could say. She'd caught him, red handed, and now his secret was out.

"Oh Louis!" She hugged him again. "You could have told me, you know. I had no idea you liked boys."

There was no turning back now. She had it figured out. Louis didn't know what to do, what to say. Seventeen years of hiding hadn't prepared him for this moment, no matter how many times he'd imagined it. 

"I love you, you know." She said eventually. "You've always been my favourite cousin. But don't tell Rose that."

Louis couldn't help but grin.

"Nobody else knows, Lily." He said softly, "I… I don't know how to tell them."

She smiled and wiped away a tear that had escaped his eyes. 

"Your secret is safe with me." She assured him, "Although, just to be clear, nobody else would mind either. Seriously, not even Gran and Granddad. It wouldn't matter to any of them."

Louis swallowed. He desperately wanted to believe her, to believe that was true. Truth be told, he hadn't expected her to react this way. In his head he'd pictured tears and angry shouting, like on those muggle television programs Victoire was obsessed with. Had he been wrong this whole time?

"Now about Teddy," She continued, "How long has that been a thing?"

With any other cousin he would have lied. He knew it wasn't a good look to have been lusting for his sister's boyfriend, but Lily would see right through him if he tried to lie anyway.

"For as long as I can remember." He answered truthfully. 

Lily grinned. "Well I can see why, I had no idea he was that toned. And he's a total sweetheart."

"Yeah… but what about Victoire?" He knew this was the sticky bit. The point that prohibited him from ever telling anybody outside this tiny, wallpapered room how he felt.

"Victoire? What about her?"

"Because, you know, they are..." Louis couldn't even make himself finish, it hurt too much.

Lily stared at him for a long moment before realisation seemed to hit her.

"But, Louis, that's not, I mean, they aren't-"

She was interrupted by the door flying open with a loud kick. A moment later Rose bustled in, hidden behind a towering stack of boxes, nearly knocking the two of them over.

"Whoops! Didn't see you two there." She exclaimed, "Sorry about that."

Lily shot Louis one last look before flipping her hair over her shoulder and turning away.

"It's ok, we were just leaving. I think dinner should be ready soon."

"It is," Rose confirmed, "I was told to gather anybody hiding out up here and send you down."

"Come on then, we better go before they send up a search party." Lily said. She looped her arm in Rose's and set off back down the house, chatting idly about their recent purchases. 

Louis trailed along behind them. His heart was still racing, and his brain was struggling to keep up.

Somebody else knew his secret now. It was out there, in the wild. He trusted Lily, but he hadn't planned on telling her, or anybody, until he was much older. And then there was Teddy. He couldn't get the image of his bare body, dripping under the water, out of his head. How was he going to survive another week at The Burrow knowing what he looked like naked now? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes yes I know I'm late! But the rest is nearly done and incoming soon.
> 
> Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

**Author's Note:**

> I've always been super fascinated by Louis Weasley since he's the only canon male with Veela blood. There's definitely some liberties taken with the ages of many of these characters since they aren't specified, so whether or not Lily and Louis (and the others) would be in the same year isn't totally confirmed, by I like to imagine it that way.
> 
> At least two more chapters are coming, the next one is almost done and the third just started - so hopefully both will be posted before the 24th!


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